October Randomness

Here I am, sitting at work, waiting for an audio recording of a show to be done to send it off to the composer for approve the tempos. This time, it's Nunsense. (I love this show.) This seems to be the only time I can ever find to write blogs. Busy, busy, busy.

I hardly get any blog views anymore. I blame that on two factors: my lack of posting, and my decision to make my blog "permission-only" last year. When my out-laws cut us off just over a year ago, I decided it was best to end ALL communication, and since my mother-out-law used to read my blog all the time, I decided that counted. I took the privacy setting off a few months ago, but it may come back. You never know. In the meantime, I guess they can see all the things I posted to trash on them (that's the reason I supposedly put up the block). Fun fact: as far as I know, I've never trashed my out-laws on this blog (unless calling them out-laws counts as trashing). But sometimes, when I'm being passive aggressive or talk in code...

October is always such a nostalgic month for me. Not only because I love Halloween and all things related (except pumpkin-flavored things - YUCK), but because I love the fall. I love when the days start getting shorter, darker, and cooler. I love the smell of wet leaves on the ground. I love all the edited scary movies on cable. I love that it's the kickoff of three straight months of holidays, and I get to partake in all kinds of traditions and see a lot of my family and friends.

October also reminds me of my Grandma Orton. She was one of the best people in the whole world, and you didn't even have to be her grandson to think so. She treated everybody like family. She even left money and things for her neighbors when she died. Who does that?! She was such a good example of unconditional love and charity. I miss her all the time, but especially in October. Her 98th birthday would have been on October 6 this year, and Halloween marks the 8th anniversary of her death. She was older when she got my mom (oldest of 7), so by the time my mom got me (2nd youngest), Grandma was already pretty old. I'm lucky I got to know her for 23 years. Since I'm starting a family at an older age than the average around here, I hope my kids won't take their time with my mom for granted. She's such a carbon copy of her mother in so many ways.

In just over three months, I'm going to have a baby. A BABY. And she's going to be like a little female version of me. Sorry, Lauren. She is. She already loves The Beatles, Ace of Base, and musical theatre. Now we've got to get her into Batman. I'm not sure how we can do that while she's still in the womb. But as soon as she's born, I'm going to surround her with as many Batgirl items as I can find. Thank goodness my mom has an embroidery machine. Finding pink Batman symbols is HARD. However, finding infant/toddler Batgirl costumes is easy, so guess what she'll be wearing in a year? That's my girl!

Before Lauren got pregnant, we already had two boy names picked out. We were sure it was a boy. That was good, because we could not agree on any girl names. Luckily, 4 days before the gender check, I finally came up with a name that Lauren liked. Then after we found out the gender, we had a hard time trying to find a middle name. We're still keeping her first name fairly secret, but her middle name (and also nickname) is Elle. We were finding that whenever we'd talk about her, we'd start to slip and say her name. We SUCK at keeping secrets. So, I started referring to her as Elle, which is French for "she/her," because it seemed like an appropriate nickname AND we really liked how it went with her first name. For a while, I was worried that once we saw her, we'd decide that her name didn't fit her. There's still a possibility of that. However, her personality seems to fit it really well, so we should be good.

I've gotten back into a slump with church. I hate my calling, and I don't connect with the majority of my ward. On a good Sunday, ONE person will talk to me in church (not counting people who comment when I teach). I get snubbed by my own bishop a lot. At the last ward party we attended, he came and said hello and asked how I was, and he practically walked away before I had finished answering. He has a counselor who I'm 87% sure doesn't even know my name. I know that I could probably reach out more, but it's frustrating that when we do try things, like going to ward parties, only a few people will acknowledge our presence. I used to go to ward choir, but it was really contentious. Everybody argued with the choir director. And even though it's not my calling, every time I go, I get suckered into playing the piano. When I was asked to lead warmups one day, a guy snickered and commented about how weird my warmups are. Apart from a few neighbors that I really like, and ONE guy in our ward who talks to me on a regular basis, church is the opposite of a social situation for me now. (It's a great way to get caught up on others' blogs/Facebook/Twitter between classes, though!) Sorry. I almost made it through a random list without anything negative.

Taking a break from theatre is refreshing, even though it drives me a little crazy. And I get super-productive when I'm not in rehearsal/performance. There are house projects that I've been meaning to get to for over a year that I'm finally getting done. Maybe I can FINALLY post that photo tour of my house for Sarah Culp. (Sarah, do you still read my blog? Miss your face!) By the time the baby comes, we will have painted walls, refinished furniture, replaced a mirror with a medicine cabinet, hung new curtains, added new furniture... It won't even look like the same house.

Also, I don't think I've mentioned it on my blog, but I bought a piano! I've always wanted an antique piano, and I found a 1939 baby grand for $500 on KSL. Couldn't pass that up. It's been in the shop for over two months, getting its guts completely refurbished. Then, when I can save up enough money, I'm going to have it refinished on the outside and painted black to match my black, white, red, and gray living room. I'm excited to finally have a piano in the house. The Clavinova just doesn't cut it when I'm in the mood for some Beethoven, Schubert, or Rachmaninoff.

Another plus to taking a break from theatre is the time I have to actually do things like cook. I made sugar cookies for the first time in 2 years yesterday. And DANG, they were good. I also remembered that 2 years ago, I perfected oven-fried chicken. Got to make that the other day. Pretty soon, much to Lauren's dismay, I'm going to pull out my meatloaf pan. *drool* I love a fancy meatloaf. The last time I made one, it was from ground turkey and chicken and had ranch seasonings. I'm craving a good beef/pork one. Also, I forgot how much I love making soup. There's nothing like a bowl of great soup on a late fall/winter night.

Nunsense is finishing up, so it's time to publish and be done. And it's almost time to go home, where I'll probably tackle something off my to-do list, instead of watching the Presidential debates like a good citizen. I can't get that riled up if I want to sleep tonight. Maybe we'll watch a horror movie off the DVR instead. Saw, maybe? Much calmer.

Connect

I’ve been doing theatre for a long time. My first play was the 7th grade production of Julius Caeser, in which I played Strato and held my dagger while Brutus ran onto it. I had one line. “Give me your hand first. Fare you well, my lord.” I came out for one other scene, if I remember right. And I hardly remember anything else about the production, except Megan teaching me how to draw horses, Rachel telling people that she had been in movies/TV shows, and Mr. Talcott, the crotchety band teacher adding some music to the show.

I’ve been doing theatre a long time. Almost 20 years. A few of those years, I only did 1 or 2 shows. Some years, I worked on probably 10 shows in some capacity. I’ve been doing this a long time.

My estimation is that I’ve probably been involved with around 100 shows in some way. In all that time, I can count on my two hands the amount of experiences that I’ve absolutely LOVED. That’s a relatively small amount.

So why do I keep doing it?

It’s not for the money. My latest show bought me some furniture from Ikea and is helping me to pay off some bills, but it’s nothing substantial.

It’s not for the attention I get. I HATE getting attention. I hate being in front of groups of people without a script of someone else’s words. I hate meet and greets after I’m in a show. That’s probably the ONLY thing I don’t love about being in a show at the Hale.

It’s not for the friends I make. Okay, maybe that’s part of it. Some of my best friends are friends I met through the theatre. And honestly, if I hadn’t been doing theatre, I never would have met Lauren. Okay. That’s a big part of it.

The biggest reason I do theatre is because I have a story to tell. All the time. It’s not my story – at least not in my own words. It’s my story through someone else’s words. It’s my chance to take a story which may or may not be a great story to tell, and infuse it with my ideas. My style. My life.

Some of the most fulfilling projects I’ve ever done have been from the last few years. I’m getting pickier in my old age. I used to take any job, because I was a theatre whore (when you’re single and you’re making a decent amount directing and/or music directing multiple shows at the same time, it can very easily be about the money). Since I got married, I have a much higher criteria for accepting jobs, because I don’t want to be away from home if it’s not a project I’m going to love or have a major connection to the material.

My current show, Little Shop of Horrors, is one of those shows that I’ve absolutely loved. As I directed it, I tried to make it personal. From a religious standpoint, I focused on the redemption of one character and the fall from grace of another. I can relate to both.

Last year at this time, I did Little Women, and I focused on the bond between siblings and especially the devastation of losing one. It was incredibly therapeutic, coming just after the 4th anniversary of my brother’s death. I cried or nearly cried every night when Beth died.

Also last year, I did Seussical. As the character of Horton, I related to being an outcast who desperately wanted somebody to believe in him. I related to looking for love and not seeing it right in front of my face. And I related at the time to not knowing how to be a father (although, if I were to do the show again, I’d have A LOT more experience to pull from).

I’ve had other great experiences in the last few years, and I’ve had some TERRIBLE experiences in the last few years. Even Little Shop, which has been an amazing experience, had some REALLY rough times, and some people within the theatrical organization seemed to be out to get me. But gosh darnit, I prevailed, and the story was told. The Wizard of Oz, earlier this year, was such a bad experience that I was ready to swear off theatre. I’m glad I didn’t. For every Oz, there’s a Little Shop. For every Pinocchio, there’s a Secret Garden.

I don’t believe in theatre for the sake of entertainment. I disliked Wicked and The Lion King when I saw them on Broadway, because they were all about spectacle. There was no heart. No story. Just big puppets and special effects.

I believe in theatre for the sake of art, and art, to me, creates thought. After seeing In the Heights on Broadway, I couldn’t stop thinking about leaving my childhood behind and missing my Grandma. After seeing White Christmas, I reflected back on the great holidays I’d spent with family, and looked forward to the new ones I’d spent with Lauren. After seeing Mary Poppins, I vowed to be a good father, should I ever have a family of my own. After seeing South Pacific, I reflected back on the racial prejudices of my own upbringing and determined to never revert back to thinking certain behaviors and attitudes were okay.

And that’s what theatre is all about, Charlie Brown.

It’s not about “oh my gosh, she actually FLEW up over the stage!” It’s about relating to somebody feeling so free that they could fly.

As soon as Little Shop closes, I’m planning to take a break. A needed, deserved break. I’m going to focus on the next stories I have to tell, and the new audience of one. And she’ll love it. And we’ll have so much fun, but we’ll learn, and we’ll grow together. But I’ll be back. And then I’ll have more stories.

Random List on an Overcast Spring Friday

I get it. The Hunger Games in movie form is as big as the second coming of Christ itself. You can stop reaffirming that on Facebook.

I don't get to go to London next week after all, and that SUCKS.

I DO, however get more time to spend with my wife and puppies.

And I'm probably going to take a PTO day because I deserve it.

The song "What About Love" from The Color Purple sounds like the bastard love child of "I Swear" and "Reunited." And now that I've made that connection, I can't listen to the song anymore, which is unfortunate.

I've got three shows in rehearsals right now, and it's fascinating how different three shows can be. It's REALLY fascinating how different three directors can be. And it's mind-boggling how different three casts can be.

I'm starting to get really excited to direct The Wizard of Oz. Initially, I was hesitant, but I'm really starting to figure out a way to make it "my" version and still keep the masses happy who want a carbon copy of the movie. Spoiler: it won't even be close to the movie, but hopefully they'll like it...

I got to have a one-on-one session with one of the kids in The Secret Garden last night, and it made me miss teaching.

TV is starting to bore me.

I still really like my new ward, but there are some people in it that are fully grown children. And other people who enable/empower those people to act like children. And that's frustrating.

It's been a really rough week, but I have nothing to rehearse or work on tomorrow, and it's Lauren's birthday. I get to spend an entire day at home, hopefully catching up on some projects, making birthday cake, watching Mad Men (Lauren's THIS close to getting hooked...), hanging all of our Disney pictures, making food, putting together a Wizard of Oz concept book, and relaxing. I can't wait.

The Color Purple is almost done recording the audio, so I guess I better get back to work now...

On a Happier Note…

I should have posted that last post on my secret blog. Oops. Oh, well. Everyone needs some self-righteous, preachy person to remind them that lying is bad, right?

I realized that I haven’t really blogged about much lately. Since my blog is the only way I can keep track of life events (I can’t do journals, because writing takes too long and frustrates me that I’m wasting time), I should probably remind myself of important things that have happened since the last time I really blogged.

• I realized that I shouldn’t ever do a show just for the money. And then I made the mistake of doing ANOTHER show just for the money.
• Lauren and I got our apartment all put together. Okay, that’s a lie. There’s still random junk piles all over, but we deal with it. (It’s mostly just things that don’t have a home anywhere.)
• I’ve learned that some regular recipes can be cooked pretty well in a Crock Pot.
• I finished my first full year as a teacher, and by the end of the school year, I had a much more healthy outlook at my job.
• I did a couple of amazing shows.
• I worked on three shows at school. 1 was miserable, 1 was really fun, 1 was somewhere in between.
• I was invited to participate in a summer youth theatre camp, which I’ve loved every minute of, so far.
• I lost lots of blog traffic because I stopped posting.
• I’ve seen 3, yes, 3 movies in the theater this year: Alice in Wonderland, The A-Team, and Toy Story 3. I loved the 2 latter, hated the first. Never had such a splitting headache from 3d.
• I spent several months on a sourdough kick, and was making it at least once a week.
• I’ve had a younger family member go on a mission for the first time.
• I’ve proven that I CAN be even worse at writing a missionary than I was with Heather.
• I’ve gained a new-found love for sound editing.
• After almost a solid year of not playing Rock Band/Guitar Hero, I found my way back to them and started sharing them with my wife.
• I almost cried at the end of Lost, as well as the end of Toy Story 3.
• I learned that I can’t go into Costco just to pick up bottled water and a gift for Lauren. I end up buying Muppet Show and NewsRadio dvds.
• I learned that I’ve always looked the brilliance of Hamlet just because it’s too common.
• I’m coming close to making a decision about whether or not I want to pursue an MFA.
• I’ve learned that my writing skills are deteriorating the less I blog (not that they were good before, just worse now).
• I’ve realized that I’m too dang old to vent on blogs late at night when I have to get up early to go teach a vocal class.

NOW could I drink hot blood?!

This post started out as a list of all of my current theatrical vents, as well as an explanation of the fact that I’m having doubts about my career in theatre. It then switched halfway through into the positive side of every vent. Because I’m trying to look on the positive side of things lately, I deleted all of the negative things, but I left the positive parts. Also, it seemed like I was looking for sympathy, which I’m not. I just needed a place to get things out, and my blog used to be that place. As life slows down a little over the summer, I’m going to make an effort to blog more. That’s a lie. I’m going to THINK about making an effort.

Anyway, here are the flipsides of all of my recent theatrical woes:

• The way I felt about my job at the end of the school year was leaps and bounds better than the beginning of the school year, and the administration is doing everything they can to make me happy so I come back next year.
• I lost a directing job I wanted, but then another fell into my lap which is turning out to be a blast, AND! I’m getting paid almost twice as much as the other would have paid. Also, it’s only going to last a month as opposed to two. AND!!! I get to rehearse in the afternoons so I can be home with Lauren at night. Last, but not least, my staff is fantastic, and the cast is a fun group of kids.
• If people are going to be dishonest around me, I don’t ever HAVE to work with them again!
• Art is to make people think, and not always enjoy. For instance, I saw the movie The Invention of Lying recently, and while I HATED it, I was able to find the art in it and appreciate that aspect. If somebody lies to my face about how much they liked something I was involved with, it’s their problem. Not mine.
• If I don’t end up directing the musical I wanted to do in the near future, it will leave an opening in a very strategic place for me.
• Even though I’m sick TO DEATH of music directing, it’s invigorating to have the opportunity to work closely with brilliant directors like Dave Tinney and Chris Clark. I learn more from them in one rehearsal than I ever did in any of my directing classes in college.
• I’d much rather hear about backstage drama after the fact than let it ruin my outlook at the time.
• A master’s degree would take at least 2 years, and if I got one, then it might be harder to get a job in a public school, should I ever decide to do that. And I’d still rather be a jack of several trades than a master of one.
• Negative people are in abundance in the theatre world, but some of my closest friends were made through theatre. Also, if I hadn’t been working in theatre for the last several years, I wouldn’t have met Lauren. (And I wouldn’t have had the acting skills to trick her into marrying me!!!)
• Less acting work = more directing/music directing work = more money.

And just to be extra positive, here are some more positive theatrical thoughts:

• I just spent a week teaching musical theatre classes to junior high and high school aged students, and I loved every minute of it. And the growth of some of the kids shocked me. THAT’S why I teach. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a student gain confidence from “getting it”.
• I can now say that when Chris Clark turned down a directing gig, I was 2nd choice. :) And his own recommended successor. If you know how much I admire him, you’ll know how much that means to me.
• Every time I see any version of Hamlet, I remember how brilliant the script is, how much I love it, and the fact that 400+ year old stories can be made as pertinent and fresh today as they were when they were written.
• I figured out how to use a feature in my recording software today that will make my tracks SO much better. I’m excited to get some recording done next week now.

That’s it for now. I’m going to fall asleep to the fifth act of The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamlet, starring David Tennant. Thanks for reading!

Current (and Not-So-Current) Peeves

I opened Windows Live Writer to blog for the first time in months, and I found this unpublished post from a LONG time ago. I’m going to just add to the end.

• People who are REALLY nice to somebody’s face, to the point of making them believe that they’re good friends, and then say awful things behind their backs: this is why I don’t go out of my way to be nice to people.
• Students with smart mouths who are dishonest in order to cover their tracks
• People who cause Lauren stress
• People who try to tell Lauren how to do wedding stuff
• People who make a huge deal about how they expect a wedding invite, but don’t give you their address and won’t respond to a Facebook message requesting it
• OOH! People who finally respond when you send them a text asking for their address, who then slam the fact that your message over Facebook wasn’t “special” enough
• People who offer to help with wedding stuff and then either back out or sit and complain/whine the whole time they’re helping
• People who don’t say “please” or “thank you”
• People who CONSTANTLY expect people to do things for them
• One-way friendships
• People who respond to texts/voicemails on THEIR time
• Deceased grandparents who insist on haunting me – I’m already being followed by Eleanor
• The lack of communication between the rest of the faculty/administration at my school and me
• People who insist on turning right from the middle of the street – WHEN THERE’S A RIGHT TURN LANE

Some things are current peeves still/again. And now the new stuff:

• Watching Will & Grace reruns and remembering how much I was irritated by Woody Harrelson’s guest arc
• Girls that are less than a year away from turning 30 who act like they’re 13
• Said girls treating Lauren like dirt
• Having to wear long pants every day to school
• Feeling like I have to babysit techies
• The weather (don’t tell me that Utah is always this weird in April. It’s not. It CAN be, but it’s not ALWAYS this bad)
• Never having/making time to blog
• Never having/making time to write my missionary brother-in-law
• Finally making time to write a blog, and getting so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open

2009 in Review

Last year I posted a 2008 in Review blog and said that I was going to try to make it an annual occurrence. Well, it now officially is, except I accidentally published this one over the old one. Guh! Oh, well. Out with the old, in with the new, I suppose…

Best Overall Experience: Dating & Marrying Lauren
Gosh, I love that girl. I can’t believe that we got this far without her being freaked out by me and running. Also, we’ve gotten this far without ever having an actual fight (unless you count play-fights, which I don’t.) She doesn’t feel the need to change who she is for me, and she doesn’t expect me to change who I am for her. She can take care of herself, but she lets me do what I can to take care of her. She’s slowly converting to all my loves (Saved by the Bell, horror movies, Friends, Buffy, etc.). Best of all, she loves me at least half as much as I love her.

Favorite Personal Theatrical Experiences: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Chess, Little Shop of Horrors
I loved my staff of Joseph, and despite all of the crap that happened with the cast, it was an amazing, rewarding experience to see my vision end up on stage. Chess wasn’t the greatest show I’ve ever worked on, but it was such an incredible personal experience, and I loved almost every single cast member. Also, I have a major man crush on Dave Tinney, and he’s one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. This also leads to Little Shop. Other than one obnoxious person, I DID love the entire cast. And Dave and the Hales/Swensons were fantastic to work with. Also, the quality of the show was outstanding.

Runners-Up: The Monkey’s Paw

Least Favorite Personal Theatrical Experiences: Stellaluna, Shakespeare Competition
Stellaluna was a nightmare. The music was TERRIBLE. The cast tried their best, but it was just ugly music. Also, the director seemed to not have any organizational skills (and one director left halfway through the process) and my time was wasted a lot. Then, they didn’t get into runs, so I never got to go and actually help polish the music. I orchestrated the music, though, and I made it tolerable (to myself, at least). Getting my kids ready for Shakespeare was ridiculous. They were not committed, not focused, and many of them were just plain lazy. Then to go to the competition and have the kids not get a single award was pretty stinky, although when we calculated rehearsal hours, it was obvious why they didn’t. Blargh.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Local Theatre Productions: Singin’ in the Rain (HCTO), As You Like It (HCTO)
I hate Singin’. HATE. But they did a fantastic job with it. Music aside (which I arranged/orchestrated and even composed some), AYLI was FANTASTIC. I was able to see both casts, and it was really tough trying to choose a favorite cast. Each actor was very well cast. Chris Clark is a freaking genius. Even people I know who usually don’t “get” Shakespeare seemed to enjoy themselves. Except for the horrendously fat people next to Teri and me, who left at intermission. Not that we complained.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Professional Theatre Productions: White Christmas, In the Heights (Both Broadway)
I never really cared for the movie of White Christmas, but I had heard that the Broadway version had been fixed up and made more “Christmassy.” I had to find out. It was true, and it was incredible. It had the feel of a golden age musical, but a modern feel to the pace (not unlike the current Broadway production of South Pacific). The cast was amazing, the choreography was stunning, the sets were to-die-for, and the tech was fantastic. Loved every aspect. In the Heights was almost as good the second time. Most of the leads were the originals, with the exceptions of Usnavi, Vanessa, Piragua Guy, Graffiti Pete, and Kevin (who was SO much better than the original). I would have probably been completely consumed by the story, had it not been for the fact that the audience was less classy than before, and people talked and shuffled throughout.

Runners-Up: None.

Least Favorite Professional Theatre Production: Aida (Tuacahn)
I don’t even want to talk about it because of the post-traumatic stress. It was so much about the spectacle that I forgot there was a small story. The stage-flooding was ridiculous. The camel was just silly. Of the leads, the only one who was consistently on pitch was Aida, and the others were so far off sometimes that it was pathetic. I was embarrassed for the cast, and as my first show at Tuacahn, it left me unimpressed with the company.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Movies: Drag Me To Hell, Up, Star Trek
Drag Me was the return of classic Sam Raimi, and I loved every second. Up made me cry, multiple times. It was an incredible story with very relatable characters. Star Trek was the first time I’ve ever not only just enjoyed a Star Trek movie, but loved it.

Runners-Up: Paranormal Activity (Until the ending), Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Least Favorite Movie: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
SO terrible. Even though it was the first movie Lauren and I saw as a couple. It gave me one of the worst headaches of my life.

Runners-Up: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Paranormal Activity (Because of the ending)

Favorite Movie-Going Experience: Toy Story & Toy Story 2 in 3-D
Lauren and I had the entire theater to ourselves for the latter, and it was a really nice change of pace.

Runners-Up: Disney’s A Christmas Carol with the Varneys (Do families REALLY all go to movies together?!), GI Joe with Phil & Nick

Least Favorite Movie-Going Experience: None.

Strangely enough, nothing was TOO bad this year.

Runner-Up: None.

Favorite New TV Shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel, Community
Neither of the first two was actually on TV new this year, but I watched them both in less than 6 months, and they were fantastic. Community is fast-becoming as clever as the first few seasons of The Office. I love the characters, I love the situations, and I love the humor. I haven’t really started watching any other new shows this year (which is good), although I really wanted to watch V. I’ll catch it on DVD.

Runner-Up: Parks and Recreation, Glee

Least Favorite New TV Show: Accidentally on Purpose
I tried to get into it because my friend Rachel sings on it, apparently. After a few episodes, I didn’t hear/see Rachel, and I wanted to die over how stupid it was.

Runners-Up: Glee (so hit and miss that sometimes it’s a favorite, sometimes I despise it)

Favorite SNL Sketches: “Say Anything,” “Digital Short: Doogie Howser Theme”
Loved them.

Runner-Up: “what up with that?” with Mindy Kaling as the guest. Her expressions were priceless.

Favorite Albums: Kelly Clarkson’s All I Ever Wanted, The Fray’s The Fray, OneRepublic’s Waking Up, Mat Kearney’s City of Black & White
Even though I don’t love Kelly much anymore, her album was my favorite of the year. It was perfect, except for one song (you know, Matt). I had it on repeat for WEEKS, and it got me through student teaching. The Fray was fantastic. Nothing new, but it was more of the classic Fray sound I love. Same with OneRepublic. Nothing too different (except maybe the children’s choir), but I loved it. Ryan Tedder is a brilliant producer, no matter what Kelly says. Mat’s newest was fantastic, too.

Runners-Up: Rodney Carrington’s Make It Christmas, Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passenger (new to me), Vedera’s The Weight of an Empty Room (also new to me)

Least Favorite Album: None.
I didn’t purchase any this year that I didn’t like.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Trips: Southern California with family, New York honeymoon 
Everyone got along fairly well for once (other than one person, who I “kindly” chastised a couple times) and despite Glenn’s car getting burglarized, and the fact that the San Diego Zoo is boring when you’re not an animal lover, a good time was had by all. New York was great, for many reasons. Most of which, I won’t share, due to the fact I’m a gentleman.

Runners-Up: None.

Least Favorite Trip: St. George/Las Vegas with family
All we did was shop. I DID get some fantastic hats, though.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Class: Student Teaching
Yes, it counted as a class. Yes, I complained while it was happening. However, I learned SO MUCH, and I’ve bumped into some of the kids since I finished, and I DID make a difference in their lives.

Runner-Up: None.

Least Favorite Class: Classroom Management II
Remember the education professor that I NEVER liked? Yeah. He taught it. Enough said.

Runners-Up: None! I only had two this year!

Best Concerts: The Fray & Jack’s Mannequin, The Killers, Mat Kearney & Vedera
The first was amazing because of the music, the second had great spectacle (which fit the music), and the third was the first intimate club-setting I’ve ever attended (also, probably the last).

Runners-Up: Jim Brickman, Rascal Flatts

Worst Concerts: Kelly Clarkson, Lonestar

Kelly sang a short set, and the experience itself was miserable. Lonestar just wasn’t the same without Richie as the lead singer.

 

Here’s to an incredible 2010!!!

It’s About Time!

I’m having a hard time focusing on anything tonight.

I’m tired, but I know I won’t be able to sleep.

I’m watching Ghost Hunters, hoping that it will relax me.

Then I’m taking a nice warm bath, which will hopefully relax me more.

Then I’m going to lay in bed, but I probably won’t fall asleep for a long time.

So, I’ll watch Christmas TV episodes (last night, I got halfway through Family Guy, so I’ll start there).

There’s a big black bag hanging from my doorknob. It’s filled with nice black clothes.

There are a bunch of centerpieces and whatnot sitting on the floor by the kitchen.

There’s a big relish tray in the fridge.

I should probably shave before bed.

There are tickets to In the Heights, The Museum of Modern Art’s Tim Burton exhibit, and other surprises that Lauren doesn’t know about.

There’s a blu-ray that needs to go in the mail to be returned to Blockbuster while I’m gone. (It’s Batman, in case you were wondering. I was blown away by how the 20 year old movie looked. Bravo, Warner Brothers.)

The tree has several gifts under it, but only a couple are Christmas presents.

There are two industrial coffee makers on the floor that Amber Kaye bought for the hot chocolate. God bless Amber Kaye.

I keep getting messages asking if I’m nervous. I’m not. Should I be?

Maybe Ghost Hunters wasn’t a good idea. I’m getting a little tense. It’s actually kind of creepy for once.

I’ve really gotten to see who my real friends are lately.

My apartment smells INCREDIBLE because of the cinnamon ornaments we made.

I’m going to start getting ready for bed now.

Big day tomorrow.

I’M GETTING MARRIED.

Finally.

To Lauren.

Who was totally worth the wait. And then some.

Wedding Bells (Not Mine)

Today, I was able to attend the wedding of Lauren’s sister, Jenna, and her new husband, Mike. The festivities (for me) started last night. After spending the afternoon at Paranormal Activity to get Lauren’s mind off of stressful things, we went to the stake center where the reception was to be held, so that we could set up everything.

After setting stuff up for a while, I went home to bed, while Lauren went home to do girly things.

This morning, I was at Lauren’s house about 15 minutes before we planned to go to the temple, and everyone had been so excited that they had gone and left Lauren alone to wait for me. We got to the temple, and had the longest wait I’d ever had in a sealing room.

The ceremony itself was very nice. Jenna and Mike were given some GREAT counsel, and there was such an amazing feeling there. I felt honored to be a part of it.

After the ceremony, I got to meet some of Lauren’s relatives that I hadn’t met yet. The one I got to talk to the most was probably her Aunt Tammy, who was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

After Mike and Jenna came out, several pictures were taken. While they were standing there being photographed, some old man inside the temple came right up to the window behind them and just stared and smiled. I sure hope we see him in some of the pictures!!! Then, we went and did family pictures.

After the pictures, we went back to Lauren’s house to get stuff ready. Mostly, I played with Nik and Anna. When the family all went to the luncheon, I had to go home and teach some piano lessons.

Piano went by quickly, and then I drove up to Kearns for the reception. I’ve NEVER had a trip that far take that long. The traffic was so sluggish. I was running late for pictures, and I finally texted Lauren and told her not to wait, because I wasn’t going to make it.

I did end up making it in time for one picture with the family. (I think I heard Jenna saying that they needed one with me. That was sweet.)

The reception was pretty casual, which was nice. Lauren had been assigned by Mike’s sister-in-law, Vanessa, to guard the gift table, so I stayed near her. Shortly into the reception, however, we found out that there was a plot by Mike’s brothers to stuff condoms into all of the gifts on the table. Lauren asked Nick to take a couple gifts into the kitchen and check them. Sure enough, they each housed a prophylactic. Nick threw one away, and then I swiped the other one for evidence, if needed.

The rest of the night we didn’t leave the gift table. Mike’s brothers were ticked. They asked Nick to try and lure Lauren and me away from the table. They told us that it wasn’t their joke, and I told them off and said that if it wasn’t their joke, they still deserve to be in trouble for carrying it out. After that, they were scared of me and wouldn’t come near me.

After the line was over, Mike’s family got up and did the dance to Thriller. Yes, really. It was probably the most interesting thing I’ve ever seen at a wedding reception.

When the couple left and the clean-up began, Lauren’s younger sister, Becca, was having a rough time, so I picked her up and carried her around and told her a scary story to scare her and take her mind off things. It worked. (Aren’t I going to be the best parent someday?!)

We loaded everything into the cars, and left. The family all went to Hires to get dinner, and then we went home and unloaded everything.

The wedding turned out much less stressful than I feared it would, but the whole time, all I could really think of was the fact that the next wedding I attend will be OURS.

Oh, and if you’re planning to attend ours, make sure you’re brushing up your dance steps. I think it was Nick’s or Phillip’s idea to one up Thriller and do Single Ladies and end with me putting a ring on Lauren’s finger. Because darnit, I do like it, and I will put a ring on it.

The Year of Concerts Comes To an End

When you use the word “to” in a title, do you capitalize it? I’ve found info on the net saying yes AND no. Oh, well.

Last night, Lauren and I went to see Mat Kearney. If you recall, I like him a whole lot. I’ve liked him for years – before he was on Grey’s Anatomy or whatever made him popular.

I hadn’t planned on going, mainly because it was general admission in a club. But, my love of his music (the non-rapping songs, anyway) and the fact that tickets were only $15 convinced me to suck it up.

The show was supposed to start at 7:30, and we didn’t get there until just after that. I had heard that there would be an opening act, and I wasn’t too thrilled about rushing up there to suffer through yet one more awful opening band this year. We found our spots on the floor (not too bad, considering the show should have been starting right then) and waited.

The opening band, Vedera, didn’t take the stage until after 8. By that time, I was getting annoyed. My back does not like me to stand in one place too long, and my mild claustrophobia doesn’t like me to stand in crowded rooms for too long. Plus, this meant Mat Kearney wouldn’t take the stage until at least 9, and we were in for a late night.

As soon as Vedera started to play, my orneriness subsided. They were GREAT! I really liked their stuff. Lauren did, too. We decided that we were getting their album, which I did tonight. Love it.

Crazy dancing girl liked them, too.

We first were introduced to her during the pre-show music. She has got to be one of the most talented people I’ve ever seen. She was “dancing” to the music, but was TOTALLY offbeat. Probably the most rhythmically challenged movement of all time. Then, the most insane thing happened. She started clapping to the music, and her claps were right on the beat – WHILE her body was grooving to its own rhythm. CRAZY!!!! I asked Lauren to pose for a weirded-out picture so I could get a shot of Crazy without being obvious, but right as I snapped it, she jerked mostly out of the frame.

See her off to the right there? CRAZY.

Anyway, we both loved Vedera, and I was actually a little bummed when they ended their set. Lauren was a good sport, too, when the singer kept making eye contact with me, especially during the slow songs. It probably didn’t help that right before she started looking at me, I had commented on how cute and spunky she was. Oops. Lauren said she wasn’t jealous, though. Best fiancée ever.

During the break after Vedera, we were introduced to people such as Whiny-Nasally-Voiced-Too-Short-Abercrombie-Model-Wannabe, who almost knocked Lauren down by trying to shove his way closer to the stage, and his friends – including Crazy Dancer. We were also introduced to a weird middle-aged couple who kept plugging their ears during the loud concert music. Oh, and the husband took his shoes off and was standing around in his socks on the nasty club floor. I thought Lauren was going to puke.

After a break that was MUCH too long, Mat Kearney took the stage. He was amazing. I was having a hard time standing around. My back was KILLING me. But it was worth it. Although, Mat was probably one of the most irritating artists when it came to my pet peeve of mentioning the name of the city where you’re playing. He not only mentioned Salt Lake over and over, but inserted it into several songs, and even improvised a rap about Salt Lake. UGH. White rap + city name dropping = annoyed Jeremy.

The concert was still amazing, though. The encore ended with a cover of Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” for which Mat brought Vedera onstage again to perform with his band. It was a great ending to the show and a great finale to my year of amazing concerts. I doubt I’ll ever have another year where I see this many concerts again, and that’s okay. I’m getting too old for it, anyway. Too much standing makes me feel like an old grandpa. But at least I keep my shoes on.

[Insert (attempt at) Clever Title]

I’m really tired, but I’m clearing off my DVR tonight so that it doesn’t get too full while I’m gone for the rest of the week. It’s sad that my priority is TV and not packing. I will probably get to the competition and find that I forgot to pack underwear because I was so tired when I packed. Oh, well. Sometimes TV is worth going commando. In the meantime, I’m watching/recording stuff off my DVR and recording random thoughts.

I wish I was a better writer, like Trash or Julie. My blogs are more lists than actual writings lately, and that saddens me. I used to LOVE to write and always wanted to make it better. Now, I just throw a list together and call it good, like I’m a theatre reviewer for the Deseret News or something.

I’ve had a weird feeling all night. I can’t put my finger on it. I don’t know if it’s about Shakespeare Competition, Urinetown, or something else that’s not as present on my mind. Whatever it is, I’m not liking it, and I wish it would go away.

I also dislike feeling like somebody is bugged by me, and they won’t say why so I can fix whatever I’m doing to bug them. 9 out of 10 times that I feel this way, it’s usually me just being stupid/sensitive. But tonight, I had several moments, and I’m paranoid. It doesn’t help that I’ve had that other yucky feeling.

I’m not going to see Lauren again until Sunday. This sucks. Luckily, though, we live in an age where there are cell phones for texting and calling anytime. I could not have survived in Shakespeare’s time.

I want to be in a show. I want to perform somehow. It kills me that UVU is doing shows that I would love to be in – AFTER I’ve graduated. I know I’m not very good at acting and singing, and that I can’t ever get cast in anything but A Christmas Carol, but I’m dying to be on the other side of the table at auditions for once. I love directing. I like music directing. I LOVE teaching/coaching. I just miss the days when I balanced it better and went back and forth between music directing and acting. Sadly, I don’t see any performing in my future. As long as I don’t have a full-time job, I have to only do jobs where I can get paid, and acting isn’t one.

I don’t want to be sitting on a bus with students for 5 hours tomorrow. I bought some new headphones that are REALLY good at noise-canceling. We’re driving straight from Orem to St. George to see Aida at Tuacahn. Please, God, give me the strength to not kill any children.

I’m missing the following people right now (for different reasons): Grandma Orton, The Culps, Heidi T., Bryan, John, The Masons, Pre-Crazy/Skanky Mariah Carey

Saturday Night Live has not been funny this year. I think I’ve only chuckled a couple times so far. That was pretty funny when the new girl said the f word, though. And that freakish thing that was dancing inside a giant metal atom was pretty laughable. I’m told she’s some famous singer, though.

I think I’ve finally narrowed down my Halloween costume to a few choices. I’m not terribly excited about any of them, which leads me to believe that maybe I should just not dress up this year.

I’ve been blogging semi-regularly for 3 1/2 years, and while this isn’t a huge accomplishment, it’s pretty big for me. I’ve NEVER been good at keeping a journal, so it’s fascinating to go back and read my thoughts on what was going on and how I was feeling months or years ago. When I look back on this post, I’m going to think: “Wow. I was a real downer that night.”

I’m Human, She’s Dancer

Last week, Lauren and I went to the Killers concert at the E Center.

It was FANTASTIC. I tweeted several times throughout the night, so I’ll include my tweets in this blog, too.

Matt and David carpooled with us, but they braved general admission, so they didn’t sit with us at the concert.

The evening began with a lovely dinner at Carl’s Jr. I had a tasty burger, as did Lauren – because it looked “safe.” Matt ate a low-carb burger, which was a burger wrapped in lettuce. He was craving carbs afterward, though, and ALMOST ate half of a bun that we had found in the flowerbed outside. I don’t remember what David ate, but I don’t really care, because he brought up the subject of my dancing in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

We got to the E Center and parked the car. On our way in, we saw a car parked very crookedly, with a message on the back window.

We were dying, and Matt insisted I take a picture. (You’re welcome, Matt!)

We got inside with plenty of time for the subpar opening act. Matt and David were in the middle of the floor, and we were on the second row just to the left of the stage. Pretty decent seats.

(Tweet: There's a girl in the opening band for Killers that looks just like my third grade teacher, Mrs. Nielsen. 7:32 PM Sep 26th)

At this point, I noticed that the guy in front of us had an iPhone, and it looked like he was on Twitter. I’m not usually that nosy (lie) but I thought “Hey, that guy he’s looking at on Twitter and pointing out to the girl with him looks like me. WAIT A MINUTE! That IS me!” I leaned forward, and saw that he had done a search on Twitter for “Killers” and turned up my profile because of my previous tweet. It was freaky. The guy got really annoying, though. He tweeted even more than I did that night.

The opening band was really lame, and they kept trying to be preachy. One of their songs had a really lame title, which they sang repeatedly, so of course I had to tweet in reference to the song “Listen to the Beat Come Down Like a Stone, So You Better Run, Run for Cover.” (That may not be the EXACT title, but you’d be surprised at how close it really is.)

(Tweet: I'm listening to the beat come down like a stone. And I really want to run. Run for cover. 7:50 PM Sep 26th)

After the opening act, there was a long intermission before Mariachi el Bronx took the stage.

At first, I was intrigued. It was a mariachi band that kind of rocked. After a couple songs, I was losing interest.

(Tweet: Done with mariachi. Killers now, please. 8:37 PM Sep 26th)

Then, the lead singer started spouting choice four-letter words. At one point, he had said enough of them that I turned to Lauren and told her that the concert was officially R-rated by MPAA standards.

One interesting thing about the concert was the audience. There were a lot of families there. Originally, I thought it was weird. Then, when the guy was swearing so much, I was kind of bugged, and I told Lauren that we were never bringing our kids to concerts like that. There were also typical concert-goers, including the woman whose tank-top was BARELY staying on. Lauren and I voted that nobody should wear tops like that- especially if they’re that large. I took a picture of her with the intent of posting it on my blog, but I’m going to be nicer and not post it here. It’s on my phone if you want to see it, though. :)

(Tweet: Pretty sure Hell's soundtrack consists of mariachi artists who think they're bad a. 8:41 PM Sep 26th)

Then, the coolest thing happened. The guy was swearing and trying to get praise, and people booed him. The guy got TICKED and said “You got a problem with us? It takes a lot of guts to get up here and play mariachi for your asses, so respect it!!!”

I thought I was going to die. I was laughing HARD. I had to text myself the exact quote for blogging purposes.

When they were FINALLY done, we had another long wait before The Killers finally came out. They opened with a really strong song (it wasn’t one I know really well) and then started the first four notes of the guitar riff from “Human.” Suddenly, Brandon stopped the rest of the band and said they had to clear the stage. He told us they’d be back. Some guy came out and said they were experiencing technical difficulties, and they would start again in 5 minutes.

(Tweet: RT @MatthewGSmith: Technical difficulties. Brandon and co had to leave the stage. Something dangerous? 9:28 PM Sep 26th)

After much longer than 5 minutes, they came back out and started “Human” again. They were BRILLIANT. And they played a nice, lengthy set, which made up for the crap. In fact, I didn’t tweet again the rest of the night because I was so entertained.

Throughout the Killers, I was blown away by how many of the middle-aged dads AND their kids were rocking out. I was really touched that they were able to share such a fun experience. I told Lauren that our kids ARE going to come to shows like this after all, because I’m going to take them. However, I don’t rock out and mosh like some of the dads…

After the show, Matt tried to lead us to my car, and he led us astray. I think it was due to a lack of carbs in his diet. David and I won the prize for finding the car, which we all then sat in for at least a half hour trying to get out of the parking lot. People are stupid.

We finally got out of there and eventually made it home.

It was an amazing concert, and a nice end to (*drumroll*) THE YEAR OF CONCERTS. I started trying to work out a ranking in my head for all the concerts I’ve seen this year, and then I decided to buy tickets for Mat Kearney’s return to SLC later this month, so THAT will have to be the end of (*drumroll*) THE YEAR OF CONCERTS. However, as of right now:

#1) The Fray with Jack’s Mannequin
#2) The Killers
#3) Keane with Mat Kearney
#4) Kelly Clarkson
#5) Rascal Flatts
#6) Jim Brickman
#7) Lonestar

I’m ranking strictly by show alone, and NOT the company I was keeping or the crappy people surrounding us that almost ruined them. Otherwise, Jim Brickman would be #1 because that was mine and Lauren’s first official(ish) date…

I’m glad I’ve had such an amazing year for concerts, and probably doubt I ever will again. Usually shows keep me from attending this many. But I’ve had my fill for a while – or at least until I have pre-teens of my own to take and corrupt with foul-mouthed mariachi bands.

Say Anything (but preferably “yes”)

Remember when I threatened to do do this? (That’s a link. Click on it.)

Well, I did it.

Here’s what you need to know: Lauren LOVES the movie Say Anything. Possibly because I’m the one who introduced her to it a long time ago, possibly because it’s just a really good movie. But in any event, she LOVES it.

The day after Lauren and I started dating, I informed Teri that I knew how I was going to propose to her, should the chance arise. I also told Matt, because I figured if anyone would be able to find a 1980s-style boombox, it would be him. He failed.

Lauren and I have known for a while that we’re going to get married, because let’s face it, you just KNOW. We’d talked about it, we’d even gone ring-shopping. We decided that it was best to wait until Joseph was over, due to all of the crap that was already happening in the cast because of our relationship (ie, “Can you use your relationship with Jeremy to get me a bigger part?). We also decided we wanted to be officially engaged before youth theatre starts for the fall, because being asked a million times “Are you getting married?” was not sounding too fun. That gave us a window of about 12 days.

Lauren knew it was coming, and I STILL completely surprised her.

Here’s a rundown of events:

Sometime in June: I ask Matt to help me find a boombox
Sometime in July: Lauren tells me that she does not want a public proposal, nor does she want her family involved. Drat! There goes my idea, since I can’t stand outside her window. I start brainstorming for other ideas. Nothing works for me, though. I’ve GOT to find a way to make it work. Heather recommends that no matter what, I have somebody there to take pictures of the proposal so that we have the moment recorded.
Throughout August: We go ring shopping to get ideas. Lauren narrows it down to three choices and leaves it up to me to pick the one.
Friday, August 21 (afternoon): I ask Heidi to help me, because Matt was having no luck, and neither was I.
Friday, August 21 (evening): Joseph is FINALLY over. Lauren comes to my house, where the ring had just arrived, and I have to be sneaky in order to look at it.
Saturday, August 22: I show up at Lauren’s house to have a relaxing evening with her family, and when I get there, Say Anything is on, so the idea is fresh in their heads.
Sunday, August 23: I spend the ENTIRE day with her family, and I feel like part of it. I feel like I’m bonding with her dad, which is good, because I haven’t known him like the rest of the family.
Monday, August 24: I text Amber Kaye and ask her if we can have a Rocky Horror night at her house on Thursday, but it’s really a front for a proposal. She is STOKED. What kind of sick freak proposes on Rocky Horror night? ME. Lauren is OBLIVIOUS. Amber is officially in on the plan and goes out of her way to help me. She even joins the hunt for a boombox.
Tuesday, August 25: Wrench! I’m in faculty meeting at school, and I find out that I’m expected to attend back to school night on Thursday. Department Chair tells me that I don’t HAVE to go if I already have plans. Crisis averted. I go to the SCERA costume shop and rent a trenchcoat. I buy Lauren’s dad, Randy, a 2 liter of Coke, because we’re from a culture that doesn’t use champagne/wine for things like this. I sit down with him and ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. He seems genuinely happy/excited and asks when I’m going to propose. I tell him Thursday, but Lauren doesn’t know. He tells me about his proposal to his wife, Emily. We have a genuinely great conversation. Lauren knows that the proposal is coming, but has NO idea when.
Wednesday, August 26: I tell Heather of my plans for a proposal, and she gives me one last big pointer for how to make it more special. Lauren and I go to a good-bye dinner with Heather & David and Wendy & Dave, because H&D are going back to NY in the morning. I show up to get Lauren with a bunch of roses and a card which reads “Dear Lauren, I’ll always be there for you. All the love in my heart, Jeremy.” Lauren gets the Say Anything reference, which also puts the idea of Say Anything completely in her head again.
Thursday, August 27 (morning): Amber texts everyone for Rocky Horror night, letting everyone know that we’re bbqing and watching the movie starting at 7:15. Lauren is planning to go over early to help Amber get the food ready. She invites me, but darnit! I have a meeting with my department chair, and I probably won’t be there until right at 7:15. Also, they still may try and get me to go to back to school night, so we’re crossing our fingers.
Thursday, August 27 (afternoon): Lauren tells me that she’s getting all ready. DOES SHE KNOW?! HAS SHE FIGURED IT OUT?! I tell her that I appreciate that she’s getting ready for Rocky Horror night. I go to my meeting with Department Chair and stop by Teri’s on the way. She likes the ring, and is excited for what’s coming. Her mom also gives her approval, and Bristol and Kiva (sp?) think it’s “pretty.”
Thursday, August 27 (late afternoon): WRENCH!!! Lauren’s brother, Phillip, offers to come and help Amber with food early as well. Amber calls me in a panic. I text Phillip: “Call me right now and don’t let Lauren know, please.” He calls, and I explain the situation. He seems genuinely thrilled, with such exclamations as “nice!” I finish my meeting, run some errands, and then drive around near Amber’s house until I get a text telling me that Lauren is there and they’re ready.
Thursday, August 27 (early evening): I get to Amber’s house and get set up. I never found the boombox, so I have my iPod boombox. Batman is now officially a part of my proposal, since his logo is on my iPod. The Beatles play a part as well, because Lauren mentioned that she loves my yellow submarine shoes, and since I don’t have any white sneakers like Lloyd Dobler, I wear them. I position myself in the middle of Amber’s backyard and text her, telling her that I’m ready. She tells Lauren that she’s got to light the bbq, and comes outside. I crank “In Your Eyes”, but my boombox isn’t very loud! Lauren could hear it, but couldn’t tell what it was. Amber calls for her. Lauren walks out with a puzzled look on her face. She sees me, and gets a MORE puzzled/happy look on her face.

She realizes what’s happening, and grabs the railing to keep from falling over.

She comes to me, and I put the boombox down, but leave it playing softly.

I tell Lauren how much she means to me, how much I love her, and how I want to take care of her forever if she’ll let me.

I pull out the ring, but my hands are shaking, and the pocket on the coat is DEEP. I fumble a little before getting it out. I get down on one knee and open it, and Lauren is overcome with emotion.

I ask her to marry me, and she says “yes” without hesitation. Before I can actually give her the ring, she kisses me.

My shaking hands fumble to get the ring on her finger, but it’s a perfect fit.

We embrace, and after snapping a few shots, Amber BOLTS into the house to give us privacy.

We had some time alone for a while, and then came into the house, where Amber was waiting to take a few more pictures. Chris had arrived by this time, too. He had BARELY missed the proposal. Poor guy.

We called Lauren’s family, and her little sisters FREAKED OUT. Very excited. Then I spent forever trying to get my phone to send a picture of the ring with the caption “Hey- what are you doing December 19?” to my family. It finally went through (darn Amber’s cellular black hole!) and then I started telling friends.

Lauren’s brothers, Phillip and Nick, showed up and when I answered the door, they both hugged me. I love those guys.

We had an amazing dinner (thanks, Amber and Chris!) and watched Rocky Horror. Only Chris and I had seen it. Everyone else was watching for the first time. (Don’t worry, I edited it for Nick.) It was a blast. During the movie, people tried to call me and text me about the engagement, but like I said, Amber’s house is a black hole. I finally gave up on trying to tell friends and was going to wait until the morning.

After the movie, Phillip took Nick home, and Lauren and I showed the photos to her parents. We then took Phil to get slushes and drive around listening to music for a while.

This morning, the news was out. I told Phillip that he was welcome to tell anyone. Nick took the liberty of sharing, too. I’m glad they’re excited. I went ahead and sent the picture out to a bunch of friends, too, and everyone who asked for details was told to wait until I got a blog about it done. So, here you go! :)

I’m so lucky. I love Lauren so much. I can’t wait to be sealed to her forever in less than four months. ACK!!!!! It’s going to be the longest four months of my life, but SO worth it.

Love you, Lauren!

December 19!!!

My Big Book of Grievances

• Some guy in the cast of Joseph keeps flirting with Lauren and flat-out propositioning her. And he KNOWS that we’re dating. That’s sexual harassment, right? If she tells him to back off because she has a boyfriend, and he still does it, then I’m fully justified to threaten to punch him in the face the next time he does, right?
• I’m so sick and tired of the few divas in Joseph. I’m done with the show, and haven’t been there for a few days, and I’m STILL hearing horror stories about these people. UGH. I want to go up to them after closing night and say “If I have my way, you’ll never be cast in Utah again.” I told Danielle today that I actually wish I was mean enough to say that. I won’t, but I definitely won’t ever recommend working with them to anyone.
• Have I ever confessed on my blog that in addition to my secret desire to be a Mormon pop star, I also want to create a Mormon soap opera? Well, I do. And it’s going to be based around negative stereotypes. I hate, hate, HATE negative stereotypes. But what I hate more than negative stereotypes are people who live up to them.
• I got a HUGE bug bite on my leg last weekend, and within a day, it was infected. How the?! As I type, I’m sitting here with my leg dipped in a bucket of water and Epsom salt.
• This new episode of Ghost Hunters is kind of boring.
• I really can’t stand it when people lie to me. I REALLY can’t stand it when people lie to Lauren and her brothers.
• I’m sad that I may not see the final performance of Joseph and that I’ll never see this production of Joseph again. I’m SO proud of it. If I do make it tomorrow night, I’ll probably bawl through the entire show. Maybe I shouldn’t try to make it after all.
• I don’t like people who get on power trips, say things they shouldn’t, and then don’t apologize, even though they KNOW they were wrong.
• I’m so sick of people who don’t know the word “please.” I drill that into my students’ heads. I won’t even acknowledge them if they ask for something without saying it. They’re called “manners,” people. Look into them.
• Why was I born with the world’s worst skin? I’m dreading the fact that I need to shave to go to Amesily’s wedding tomorrow. I could be a slob and not do it, but after seeing how shlubby the guy next to me looked at the temple the first time I went through, I made a goal to ALWAYS be completely clean-shaven when I’m there. Blah. Curse you, Amesily, for getting married in the temple!!! If I’m all razor burned tomorrow, it’s your fault.
• I was starving after rehearsal tonight, so I stopped at Del Taco. It’s starting to grow on me. It’s also starting to spill on me. Stupid fish taco. This stain better come out.
• I’m halfway through season six of Buffy, and even though the thought of Buffy and Spike together intrigued me at first, it now disgusts me. Also, how come when the show moved to UPN, it got trashier? The love scenes between Buffy and Riley, Buffy and Angel, etc. never seemed as trashy as Spike and Buffy. *shudder*
• The Wiggles.
• Dear Megan Fox, please put on some clothes and learn how to act.
• Facebook and Twitter are both bugging the snot out of me lately. They’re way too slow.
• Usually, when I see American remakes of Asian horror movies, I prefer the original. The only time this wasn’t the case was with Ju-On/The Grudge. The biggest reason I disliked the original was the pacing and the subplots. I’m finally getting around to seeing The Grudge 2, and it’s starting out with the most annoying subplot from Ju-On. Ugh.
• I got in a full-on argument with someone about a month ago about the fact that Little Shop of Horrors was not pre-cast. He swore it was, and told me some of the people who had been pre-cast. When he found out that I was the music director and that I had just recently talked to the director about it, he backed off and said that maybe I was right. I found out that just before auditions last week, he was STILL telling people that it was pre-cast. Out of all the rumors I heard about pre-casting, only one person ended up being cast the way it was rumored. However, she was not pre-cast. she was treated just like everyone else who auditioned. A few days after auditions, people were whining on Players Anonymous about how the show was precast. Ugh. Grow up. You didn’t get a part. Move on.

I think that’s it for now. I’m thoroughly creeped out by The Grudge 2. I think I’m going to stop it and go watch Buffy until I fall asleep. I’ll finish it when I’m not so tired. God bless On Demand.

August 5, 2009

Dear Blogary,

I feel like we haven’t talked forever. And forever is WAY too long. I’ve had an amazing month, full of so much cool stuff!

First of all, there’s this super cute girl who I like a whole lot. Like a whole, whole, whole lot. Her name is Lauren. We’ve spent as much time as possible with each other the last month, and I hope we get to spend a lot of time together over the next month. And the next one. And the next one… I like her for lots of reasons. Here are a few:

• She’s hot. Even my 6 year old nephew agrees.
• She’s really smart, even though she says she’s not and pretends she’s not sometimes.
• She’s talented. She can dance real good, and she can sing real good, too.
• She brings me Dr. Pepper some mornings when I’m tired.
• She’s getting over her severe dislike of scary movies in order to watch them with me.
• She’s good at hugging and stuff…
• She’s into religion and stuff.
• She’s getting into Friends with me.
• She comes to church with me sometimes and then she wastes her Sunday afternoon/evening with me, when I’m sure she has better things to do.
• She’s never once tried to control my car stereo.

That’s enough for now. I don’t want to make you jealous, Blogary.

I also have a show running right now. It’s called Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and it’s playing at the SCERA Shell. Here are some reviews/write-ups:

http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/article_93ec55c7-7c60-5d51-b792-39bf91ea8f95.html

http://universe.byu.edu/node/1211

http://media.www.uvureview.com/media/storage/paper982/news/2009/08/03/Culture/Welcome.To.Fabulous.Egypt-3753762.shtml

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705320918/Joseph-good-but-he-needs-a-better-technicolor-coat.html

I’m getting ready to start another show called Little Shop of Horrors at the Hale Theater in Orem. Auditions are next week. I’m excited!

I’ve been teaching youth theatre workshops to kids and teenagers this summer, and it’s fun. When else can I find excuses to have kids perform scenes from Night of the Living Dead and Cash on Delivery, and songs from The Happiest Millionaire and Der Glockner von Notre Dame?

My favorite part of summer workshops so far was taking the acting class on a field trip to Macey’s. They had to spend 15-20 minutes shopping in character. It was really fun to see kids trying to stay in character in a public setting. The best part was the girl who was playing a shy character. She looked like she was going to die every time somebody tried to talk to her. When she was making a purchase at the end, the checker looked horrified as Lauren and I were giggling at “Annelle.” She made a valiant effort to pull “Annelle” out of her shell, but it didn’t work. The class did an awesome job!

I’m not really having any luck finding a job, but I’m not too upset. If I have a year off of teaching, I’ll live. I’ll just have to fill it with tons and tons of recording and show work.

I’ve been teaching Gospel Doctrine in Church, and it’s kind of fun. I try to do something different every time I teach, and so far, it seems to be keeping people on their toes and focused. It’s kinda fun.

My friend, Amber, took new headshots of me, and I like some of them a great deal.

Right now, this very second, there is the most insane thunder outside the window! I’m going to go see if it’s raining…

I can’t tell if it’s raining or not. I’ll check again when I’m done talking to you, Blogary.

I went to an AMAZING concert a few weeks ago. It was the Fray, with Meese and Jack’s Mannequin opening.

Holy crap! Lightning just struck RIGHT BY MY HOUSE!!! Also, it’s definitely raining now. I can hear it.

Back to the concert. I still am not a fan of Meese. I hope the Fray can find a new opening act the next time they come. Jack’s Mannequin was pretty good, and of course, the Fray was AMAZING. It was general admission, and we had really good spots. We didn’t really fight with anyone, but a family near us did. Teri and I took their side, and I kind of laid smackdown when a bratty teenage girl almost trampled a poor tween.

I went to the new Harry Potter at midnight with Teri, etc. We wore matching shirts that said “Show me your patronus.” They were AWESOME. We got lots of compliments. The next day, I wanted to die. I didn’t get to bed until almost 5, and then I had to be up by 8. I decided I’m too old for midnight movies. And yet, I’m taking Lauren’s brothers to G.I. Joe this week. Ugh. At least I can sleep in Friday.

I think that’s about it for now, Blogary. Now you’re caught up. I’m going to let you get on with your life now, and I’ll get on with me. We’ll talk again soon, hopefully.

Love,
Jeremy